Process for manufacture of liquid-containers.



'APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I, $915.

INVENTOR A TTR/VEY B. ALLAIN.

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURE OF LIQUID CONTAINERS.

APPLlCATlON FILED SEPT. 1. 1915.

1,19%9941 Patentedgept. 12,111111.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTOR/VE Y LOUIS B. ALLAIN, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURE OF LIQUID-CONTAINERS.

Application filed September 1, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS B. ALLAIN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of Kingand State of \Vashington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes for Manufacture of Liquid-Containers, of whichthe following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to improve the art or manufacture ofliquid containers from fibrous material, such as paper pulp and producethe same with transparent or translucent Wall portions to enable the contents to be observed.

Apparatus for accomplishing the above referred to operation isillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is atransverse vertical section of apparatus whereby my invention may beeffected. Fig. 2 is a. horizontal section taken substantially through2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of a container in theform of a milk bottle such as may be produced in accordance with thepresent invention. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view of thesame. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through 55 of 'Fig. 4:. Fig. 6is a view similar to Fig. 5 to illustrate a slight modification. Fig. 7is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the members of the moldshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The receptacle produced by the present invention is in the nature of amilk bottle, Figs. 3 and 21, having its body composed of a peripheralwall A of paper pulp with an opening B therein closed by a sheet C oftransparent or semi-transparent material which is introduced into andhas its edges embedded in the surrounding plastic pulp material whilethe bottle Wall portion is being produced. Such wall is furthermoreformed with a rabbet D in the mouth and circumferential groove E nearthe lower end for the reception of the bottom F which is inserted afterthe body has been removed from the molding machine.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, 10 and 10 represent moldmembers having concave inner faces 11 (Fig. 7) and parallel side faces12. These members are fitted between a cap plate 13 and a base plateformed of separable elements 14 and 14 Said mold members are guided formovements radially of the mold axis by rods 15 which slide in ti guides15 provided on the machine frame.

The inner faces 11 of said members are cor- ,Specification of LettersPatent.

Serial No. 48,421.

rugated by providing the same with substantially vertical grooves 11 andhaving attached thereto a sheet 16 (Fig. 7) of fine wire gauze or anequivalent through which the liquid portion of the pulp' is forced toescape by the grooves 11 when the pulp material is subjected topressure.

Intermediate the adjacent mold members are guide or wall members 17having their sides. 17? arranged in angular relations and in planesparallel to the faces 12 in proximity thereto of said mold members. Likethe latter, said Wall members are constrained to be moved in radialdirections by rods 18 movable in guides 18 on the frame. Two of saidwall members at diametrically opposite sides of the mold are fixedlysecured to or formed integral with the respective elements 14 and 14 theinner faces of which are provided with semi-circular openings of a sizeto accommodate the core to be presently described. Said mold and wallmembers are caused to be moved radially toward and from the center ofthe mold by means such as fingers 19 and 20 of the members engaging incam slots 19 and 20 of a disk 21 which is journaled on a bearing 22 ofthe machine frame. As shown, this disk is given reciprocatory rotarymotion by means of a connecting rod 21 from a crank wheel 23 mounted ona shaft .23 which is driven by bevel gears 23 24 and 25 from shaft 25which, in turn, is driven by bevel gears 25 and 26 from a power drivenshaft 26.

The core of the mold comprises two arouate members 27 having angularshaped in ner faces 27 as shown in Fig. 2, and two members 28 and 29having angularlydisposed side faces which are juxtaposed with the faces27 of the other core "members. The member 28'has an arcuate outer face28 which is arranged to be coextensive with the outer peripheral surfaceof the members 27 when the core is in operative condition. The othermember 29 has its upper and lower portions, indicated by 29 similarlyarranged, but intermediate thereof is an'offset face 29 which protrudesoutside of the periphery of the remainder of the'core when in operativeposition. Opposing the core face29 is a hollow block 30 which is movablewithin a chamber 10 of the mold member 10 and yieldingly held in itsouter position relative to said member by a spring 31.

The face 30 which is opposite the core face 29 is provided withperforations 30 Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

10 represents a pin extending into a slot 30 of the block 30 to limitthe travel of the latter with respect to the member 10 Said core membersare Supported upon a crosshead 32 and are held thereupon by headed bolts33 which respectively pass through slots 33 provided in the feet 33 ofthe members. The core members are caused to move radially in and fromthe mold center through the agency of toggle links 34 connecting therespective members with an upright rod 34 which is axially movablethrough a bore provided in the cross-head 32.

The raising and lowering, as well as the expansion and contraction ofthe core, are regulated and effected from the shaft 26 by a cam 37,which has two cam-slots, in one of which, 37 there operates a roller, 32which is attached to the cross-head 32 and in the other cam slot 37operates a roller 35 which is attachedto the rod 34 These cam slots arerespectively shaped so that in one portion of their revolution, thecross-head 32 and the rod 34 are lowered simultaneously but thatsomewhere during their downward motion the ratio of travel of the rod 34is temporarily augmented sufficiently to contract the core, .When theyagain travel simultaneously to their lowest positions. In their upwardmovements the cross-head 32 and the rod 34 travel simultaneously exceptthat prior to the mold being charged the ratio of travel of the rod 34is augmented sufficiently to entirely'expand the core, or this expansionof the core may be only enough at this time tobring the face of the coremember 29 outside of the core members 27 and by a supplemental travel ofthe rod 34 the expansion of the core be completed as the mold iscontracted.

Above the mold are two cylinders 38 and 38 arranged concentrically aboutthe axis of the mold to provide an annular chamber 39 for a similarshaped plunger 40 which is given vertical reciprocatory motion by a yokeconnection 41 with the arm 42 of a lever whose other arm 42 is connectedby a pitman 43 with a crank-wheel 44 on a stub shaft 44 which is rotatedby means of gears 44 and 23 from the aforesaid shaft '23. The outer ofsaid cylinders has an opening communicating with a feed pipe 45 throughwhich the material is supplied to the mold. Included in said pipe ,is agate valve 46 which is connected to the lever arm 42 so that it isopened and closed as the plunger 40 is actuated by the other arm of thelever to shut or expose the opening into said pipe. By such devices andthe proper spacing of the valve 46 from the plunger, it is evident thata predetermined charge of pulp may be supplied into the chamber 39 andthence into the mold cavity below in each cycle of the operation.Besides acting as a valve, said plunger is formed at its lower end witha depending circular rib 40 to serve as a coping element for forming therim and rabbet of the bottle mouth.

In superposed relation with the mold member 10 is a receptacle 47 forsheets 48 of transparent or semi-transparent material such, for example,as paraflined paper. Said receptacle is in the form of a box which isopen at the top and having an opening in the front between tworelatively narrow flanges 47 against which the paper sheets are held bya spring-pressed follower 47 These sheets are successively conveyed fromsaid receptacle to and deposited against the foraminated face 30 of themold block 30 by means of a carriei 49 and through the instrumentalityof vacuum controlled means. The carrier consists in a hollow bodyprovided with a perforated wall 49 and suspended by a link 50 from alever 51 which is fulcrumed at 51, said lever being actuated by a pitman52 from a crank wheel 24 on the shaft 24.

The carrier is adapted to be lowered from its position in front of thereceptacle 47, as illustrated, into a position in front of the block 30when such block is in its outer position from the axis of the core and,as the block is moved inwardly, the carrier is returned to its formerposition. The carrier by suction power presently to be described,withdraws one sheet of paper from the receptacle; when the carrierpresents the sheet in front of the referred to block, the suction isdiscontinued in the carrier and created in the block to cause thetransfer of the sheet thereto and by which it is held until after thesheet is embraced between the block and the aforementioned face 29 ofthe core member 29. The referred to suction effects are attained bymeans of a vacuum, or reduced air pressure, which may be created in anysuitable manner and, preferably, through the medium of a reservoir 54,which is connected by a pipe 54 at the port 55 of a valve casing 55rigidly connected to the machine frame. Within this casing is a valvecomprising two pistons 56 and 56 which are connected by a rod 56 to themold member 10 to be actuated thereby. The valve casing 55 has a port 55opening into the external atmosphere and also has a port 55 connected bya flexible pipe 57 with a port 57 provided in a wall of the mold member10 and also has a port 55 connected by a flexible pipe 60 with anopening 60 in the carrier 49. Said wall is also provided with a port 58opening into the external atmosphere.

The action of the sheet-conveying appliances may be explained asfollows: With the various parts of the mac lne in the positions in whichthey are shown in Fig. 1, a sheet of the transparent material, denotedby 48 is clamped between the opposing faces of the block 30 and of thecore member 29 while the block 30 is pushed back from lts extremeprotruding position with respect to the mold member 10 Being thus Vlocated, the ports 58 and 61 of the member and block respectively, arein register for the admission of air into the block interior, which willoccur at approximately the time the air is exhausted from the carrier 49through the pipe 60 and port of the valve casing to draw one of thesheets 48 against the face of said carrier 49. During the beginning ofthe outward travel of the mold member 10 it is, by reason of the spring31, unaccompanied by the block 30, which will cause the port 58 tobecome inoperative and ultimately bring the port 61 into register withthe port 57 When the moldmember 10 is moved to its extreme outwardposition, the double piston valve is moved through the agency of rod 56into position to allow the air to be withdrawn from the interior of theblock 30 in order to draw the sheet 48 from the carrier 49,

which latter hasmeanwhile been lowered into position in front of saidblock 30, and to which carrier air has been admitted by the travel ofthe double valve through the pipe and port 55 The carrier then ascendsto receive another sheet and that attached to the block is carriedforward in advance of the same to be clamped between the core part 29and the block, the spring behind the latter yielding to allow the ports58 and 61'to again register for the admission of air torelease thesheet. The sheet thus held between the core and the block has its edgesprojecting outside of the perimeters of the faces 29 and 30 of therespective parts, as indicated in Fig. 2, so that when the pulp iscompressed in the mold cavity, such edges will be incorporated with thematerial.

In forming a bottle, the members 27 28 and 29 of the core, are raised onthe crosshead 32 by means of the cam wheel 37 into the space within themold members 10 and 10 and guide members 17, and the core 1s thenexpanded by means of the cam elther fully or at least sufficiently tobring the face 29 0f the member 29 coextensive with tilt the outerperipheral surfaces of the members 27. Said mold and guide members thenoccupy substantially the positions in which they are indicated in Fig. 2by the broken 7 which is now ready to admit to the mold.

This is accomplished through the lever 42'l2 which regulates the valve46 and the plunger 40 to supply a charge of the material into the mold,and which material is subsequently compressed by the ultimate inwardmovement of the mold members 10 and 10 up to their full-line positions,Fig. 2, which is effected by means of the slots 19 and the ultimateoutward movements of the core members, if not already fully expanded asabove explained. The bottle body is thus formed with the sheet 48included therein, the masked portion.of the same forming part of thewall; after which the core is contracted and lowered and the mold andguide parts withdrawn through the action of the controlling mechanismtherefor applied oppositely to that above described, members 10 and 17being brought to positions indicated by broken lines 10 and 17 and themember 10 to a position outside its broken 'line position, toaccommodate the carrier 49. A completed bottle body may then be removedfrom below so as to enable the machine to produce another, and so on.

The invention will, it is thought, be understood from the foregoingdescription.

What I claim, is

1. An improvement in the art of forming articles from pulp, consistingin introducing into a mold asheet of semitransparent material, retainingsaid sheet with a portion thereof masked supplying a charge of pulp intothe mold, and then subjecting such a charge to a. compressive force sothat the edges only of said sheet will be embedded in the pulp.

2. An improvement in the artof forming a hollow article with an openingin its peripheral wall which is closed by a. translucent sheet,consistingof retaining said sheet in a mold so that a. portion of thesheet will bemasked, supplying a charge of the plastic material intothemold cavity, and finally compressing said material so that theunmasked portions of the sheet will be em bedded therein.

3. An improvement in the art of forming receptacles from pulp and a.sheet of transparent material, consisting of temporarily holding thesheet at its central portion between the core and an element of a moldhaving separable members, then supplying a predetermined charge of thepulp into the cavity of the mold, contractin said mold so as to compressthe pulp in the space between the mold and the core, and thereby embedthe edges of said sheet in the pulp,

4. An improvement in the art of forming from pulp and a sheet oftransparent material a hollow article, consisting of compressing thepulp between an expansible core and a contractile mold, said core andmold being provided with members adapted to clamp said sheettherebetween so that the edges of the sheet will be embedded in the pulpand then-contracting the core and expanding the mold for the removal ofthe article.

5. -An improvement in the art of forming from pulp and a sheet oftransparent material a hollow article, consisting of compressing thepulp between a core and a mold, said core and mold being provided withmembers adapted to clamp said sheet therebetween so that the edges ofthe sheet will be embedded in the pulp. v

6. An improvement in the art of forming hollow articles from fibrousmaterial, consisting in first introducing into the form a sheet of thenon-opaque material so that a portion of the sheet will be maskedbetween external and internal members of said form, second, supplying acharge of the fibrous material into the form, and third, subjectingpulp, consisting in introducing into the form a sheet of non-opaquematerial so that a portion of the sheet will be masked, next supplyinginto the form a charge of the pulp, and then subjecting such charge to acompressive force so that the unmasked portions of the sheet will beunited with said pulp and the masked portion constitute a transparentpart of the wall.

8. An improvement in the art of forming articles from pulp, consistingin introducing into a form a sheet of semi-transparent material,supplying a charge of pulp into the form, so as to embed the outerportions only of such sheet within the pulp.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 18th day of August, 1915.

LOUIS B. ALLAIN.

Witnesses:

PIERRE BARNES, E, PETERSON.

